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DavidDeutsch_2005G-_我们在宇宙中的位置_
We've been told to go out on a limb and say something surprising. 主办方要求我们大胆陈述,做到语不惊人死不休。
go out on a limb:爬高枝;担风险;冒险;
So I'll try and do that. But 因此我会努力达到这一点。但是
I want to start with two things that everyone already knows. 我想先从大家都知道的两件事说起。
And the first one, in fact, is something that has been known for most of recorded history. 第一件事,事实上这是 从有记录的历史以来就众所周知的事。
And that is that the planet Earth, or the solar system , or our environment or whatever, is uniquely suited to sustain our evolution -- or creation , as it used to be thought -- and our present existence, and most important, our future survival . 这就是地球,或者太阳系, 或者说我们的环境,或诸如此类, 独一无二地适合维持我们的进化,或者说创造,正如我们之前所理解的一样-- 适合我们当下的生存,最重要的是我们未来的生存。
solar system:[天]太阳系; uniquely:adv.独特地;珍奇地; sustain:v.支持;支撑;遭受;证实; evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进; creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
Nowadays this idea has a dramatic name: Spaceship Earth. 今天这个概念有一个戏剧化的名字:太空船地球。
dramatic:adj.突然的;巨大的;令人吃惊的;激动人心的;
And the idea there is that outside the spaceship, the universe is implacably hostile , and inside is all we have, all we depend on. 在这个概念里,太空船之外 宇宙不可调和地充满敌意, 而其内部是我们所赖以生存的一切。
implacably:adv.无法和解地,难和解地;难宽恕地;执拗地; hostile:adj.敌意的; n.敌对分子;
And we only get the one chance: if we mess up our spaceship, we've got nowhere else to go. 我们只有一次机会:如果我们将我们的太空船折腾坏了, 我们将无处可去。
mess:n.混乱;餐厅;杂乱;肮脏;v.使不整洁;弄脏;弄乱;随地便溺; nowhere:v.无处; n.无处; adj.不存在的;
Now, the second thing that everyone already knows is that contrary to what was believed for most of human history, human beings are not, in fact, the hub of existence. 第二件大家都知道的事是 与我们在人类历史中大部分时间所坚信的相反 人类事实上并不是存在的中心。
contrary:adj.相反的;对立的;adv.相反地;n.相反;反面; hub:n.中心;毂;木片;
As Stephen Hawking famously said, we're just a chemical scum on the surface of a typical planet that's in orbit around a typical star, which is on the outskirts of a typical galaxy , and so on. 大家都知道Stephen Hawking说过 我们只是存在于一个典型星球表面的一些化学污垢 这个典型星球环绕着一个典型恒星绕行太空, 而这个典型恒星位于一个典型银河系的边缘,以此类推。
Hawking:n.利用鹰行猎;v.袭击;翱翔;攫取(hawk的现在分词); famously:adv.著名地;极好地; chemical:n.化学制品,化学药品;adj.化学的; scum:n.浮渣;泡沫;糟粕;v.产生泡沫;被浮渣覆盖;将浮渣去除掉; typical:adj.典型的;特有的;象征性的; orbit:n.轨道;眼眶;势力范围;生活常规;vi.盘旋;绕轨道运行;vt.绕…轨道而行; outskirts:n.郊区;市郊;(市镇的)边缘地带;(outskirt的复数) galaxy:n.银河;[天]星系;银河系;一群显赫的人;
Now the first of those two things that everyone knows is kind of saying that we're at a very un-typical place, uniquely suited and so on, and the second one is saying that we're at a typical place. 大家都知道的两件事当中的第一件 大概是说我们存在于一个非常不典型的地方, 独一无二的适合性等, 而第二件事却说我们存在于一个典型的地方。
And especially if you regard these two as deep truths to live by and to inform your life decisions, then they seem a little bit to conflict with each other. 尤其是当你将这两件事当作生命中深刻的真理 并以此作为你人生决策的依据, 那么他们似乎彼此有些冲突。
especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分; inform:v.通知;告诉;报告;告发;告密; conflict:n.冲突;矛盾;争执;抵触;v.抵触;
But that doesn't prevent them from both being completely false. (Laughter) 但是这也没法改变他们都是彻底错误的这一事实。（观众笑声）
And they are. So let me start with the second one: 他们就是错误的。让我从第二件事说起:
Typical. Well -- is this a typical place? Well, let's look around, you know, and look in a random direction, and we see a wall, and chemical scum -- (Laughter) 典型。让我们看一下--这是一个典型的地方吗？让我们看一下四周,如你所见, 随便超哪个方向望去,我们会看到一堵墙,还有一些化学污垢 -- （观众笑声）
random:adj.[数]随机的;任意的;胡乱的;n.随意;adv.胡乱地;
- and that's not typical of the universe at all. - 而这在宇宙中一点也不典型。
All you've got to do is go a few hundred miles in that same direction and look back, and you won't see any walls or chemical scum at all -- all you see is a blue planet. And if you go further than that, you'll see the sun, the solar system, and the stars and so on. 你所要做得是,朝着同一个方向前行数百英里然后往回看, 你将根本不会看到任何墙或者化学污垢 -- 你所能看到是一个蓝色星球。如果你继续前行, 你会看到太阳,太阳系,以及恒星等等。
But that's still not typical of the universe, because stars come in galaxies . 然而这在宇宙中仍然不算典型,因为恒星存在于星系中。
galaxies:n.银河; (galaxy的复数)
And most places in the universe, a typical place in the universe, is nowhere near any galaxies. 宇宙中的大部分地方,或者说宇宙中一个典型的地方, 不是任何靠近星系的地方。
So let's go further, till we're outside the galaxy, and look back, and yeah, there's the huge galaxy with spiral arms laid out in front of us. 因此我们继续前行,直到我们走出星系,然后再往回看, 是的,你会看到巨大的星系,它螺旋形的触手展现在我们面前。
spiral:n.螺旋;旋涡;螺旋形之物;adj.螺旋形的;v.使成螺旋形;vi.盘旋;螺旋形上升;
And at this point we've come 100,000 light years from here. 而到达此地,我们已经跨越了十万光年。
But we're still nowhere near a typical place in the universe. 但是我们仍然一点也没有靠近宇宙中的典型地方。
To get to a typical place, you've got to go 1,000 times as far as that into intergalactic space. 要到达典型地方, 你需要跨越此距离的1000倍,直到你到达星系与星系中间的地方。
as far as:至于…; intergalactic:adj.星系间的;银河间的;
And so what does that look like? Typical. 那里看上去是什么样子呢？典型的。
What does a typical place in the universe look like? 那么宇宙中一个典型的地方看上去是怎样的呢？
Well, at enormous expense , TED has arranged a high-resolution immersion virtual reality rendering of intergalactic space 在这里,TED不惜代价,给大家安排了一次高清晰的 模拟的星系间空间的真实体验
enormous:adj.庞大的,巨大的;凶暴的,极恶的; expense:n.费用;开支;花费;开销; arranged:adj.安排的;v.安排;计划;准备(arrange的过去式和过去分词); high-resolution:n.高分辨率; immersion:n.沉浸;陷入;专心; virtual reality:n.(计算机创造的)虚拟现实; rendering:n.演奏;扮演;表演;翻译作品;v.使成为;给予;提供;回报;(render的现在分词)
- the view from intergalactic space. - 星系间空间的景观。
So can we have the lights off, please, so we can see it? 请将电灯关闭,我们就可以看到了。
Well, not quite, not quite perfect -- you see, in intergalactic space 不太准确,不是非常完美 -- 看到了吗？星系间的空间
- intergalactic space is completely dark, pitch dark. -星系间的空间是彻底黑暗的,极端地黑暗。?
pitch:v.抛:用力扔:针对:触地:n.场地:程度:力度:推销的话:纵摇:
It's so dark that if you were to be looking at the nearest star to you, and that star were to explode as a supernova , and you were to be staring directly at it at the moment when its light reached you, you still wouldn't be able to see even a glimmer . 这个空间是如此的黑暗,假使你正盯着离你最近的恒星, 这颗恒星正好发生超新星爆炸, 当光线射到你的时候,假使你正直勾勾地盯着它看, 你甚至连微弱的闪光都无法看到。
explode:v.爆炸;爆裂;勃然(大怒);突然发生(危险); supernova:n.超新星; staring:adj.凝视的,目不转睛的;显眼的;v.凝视;盯着看;显眼;(stare的现在分词) directly:adv.直接地;立即;马上;正好地;坦率地;conj.一…就; glimmer:n.闪光;一线;一丝;微弱的迹象;v.隐约地闪烁;发出微弱的闪光;
That's how big and how dark the universe is. 宇宙就是如此的巨大和如此的黑暗。
And that's despite the fact that a supernova is so bright, so brilliant an event, that it would kill you stone dead at a range of several light years. 这还没有考虑超新星爆炸的光线是如此强烈和明亮, 你在距离它数光年的地方会立马毙命。
despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; stone dead:adj.完全死了的;完全毁坏的;
And yet from intergalactic space, it's so far away you wouldn't even see it. 但是在星系间的空间,它是如此的遥远,你甚至无法看见。
It's also very cold out there 那里也非常寒冷
- less than three degrees above absolute zero . - 不超过绝对零度三度。
absolute zero:n.绝对零度;
And it's very empty. The vacuum there is one million times less dense than the highest vacuum that our best technology on Earth can currently create. So that's how different a typical place is from this place. 什么都没有。那里真空的浓度比 目前地球上最好的技术可以产生的真空浓度的100万分之一还要小。 所以这就是宇宙里一个典型的地方与这儿如何地不同。
vacuum:n.真空; adj.真空的; v.用真空吸尘器清扫; dense:adj.稠密的;浓厚的;愚钝的; technology:n.技术;工艺;术语; currently:adv.当前;一般地;
And that is how un-typical this place is. 也就是说我们现在所处的这个地方是如此地不典型。
So can we have the lights back on please? Thank you. 请开灯,谢谢。
Now how do we know about an environment that's so far away, and so different, and so alien, from anything we're used to? 那么我们如何了解距离我们如此遥远的一个环境呢？ 与我们所熟悉的一切相比,它是如此不同,如此陌生。
Well, the Earth -- our environment, in the form of us -- is creating knowledge. 地球 -- 我们的环境,以我们这一形式存在 -- 创造知识。
Well, what does that mean? Well, look out even further than we've just been -- 这又意味着什么呢？向我们刚去过的地方的更远处望去--
I mean from here, with a telescope -- and you'll see things that look like stars. 我的意思是从这里开始,利用望远镜 -- 你会看到类似恒星的东西。
telescope:n.望远镜;v.(使)叠套缩短;精简;
They're called quasars . Quasars originally meant quasi-stellar object. 他们叫做类星体。类星体原意是指类似恒星的物体。
quasars:n.[天]类星体;恒星状球体;半星球体(quasar的复数形式); originally:adv.原来;起初;
Which means things that look a bit like stars. (Laughter) But they're not stars. 也就是说是指看上去有点像恒星的物体。（观众笑声）但是他们不是恒星。
And we know what they are. Billions of years ago, and billions of light years away , the material at the center of a galaxy collapsed towards a super-massive black hole . 我们已经知道他们是什么了。数十亿年前,数十亿光年之外, 一个星系中心的物质朝着 一个超级巨大的黑洞塌陷。
light years away:光年以外;似水流年;个光年已过去; collapsed:v.倒塌,坍塌;倒下,昏倒;坐下;(collapse的过去分词和过去式) black hole:n.黑洞(宇宙中包括光线在内的任何东西都无法逃逸的强引力区域);
And then intense magnetic fields directed some of the energy of that gravitational collapse. And some of the matter, back out in the form of tremendous jets which illuminated lobes with the brilliance of 随后密集的磁场对重力塌陷中的一些能量产生了导向作用。 其中一些物质, 以巨大的喷射流的形式逃离,照亮了宏伟的太空,
intense:adj.强烈的;紧张的;非常的;热情的; magnetic:adj.像磁铁的;有磁性的;磁的;富有吸引力的; gravitational:adj.[力]重力的,[力]引力的; tremendous:adj.极大的,巨大的;惊人的;极好的; illuminated:adj.被照明的;v.照明;启发;兴奋(illuminate的过去分词); lobes:n.耳垂;脑叶(lobe的复数形式); brilliance:n.光辉;才华;宏伟;
- I think it's a trillion suns. - 我认为相当于一千亿个太阳的光亮。
trillion:n.[数]万亿;adj.万亿的;num.[数]万亿;
Now, the physics of the human brain could hardly be more unlike the physics of such a jet. 然而,与这样一个喷射流的物理相比,我们人类大脑的物理大相径庭到极点。
We couldn't survive for an instant in it. Language breaks down when trying to describe what it would be like in one of those jets. 在这样的环境里,我们连一瞬间都无法生存。 当我们试着描述那样的喷射流中的状况,语言变得无法表达。
instant:n.瞬间; adj.立即的; conj.同"assoonas"; describe:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;
It would be a bit like experiencing a supernova explosion , but at point-blank range and for millions of years at a time. (Laughter) 这可能有点像经历一次超新星爆炸, 但是是在零距离接触并且将数百万年的能量集中到同一时间爆发。（观众笑声）
explosion:n.爆炸;爆发;激增; point-blank:步步惊魂;步步惊魂;
And yet, that jet happened in precisely such a way that billions of years later, on the other side of the universe, some bit of chemical scum could accurately describe, 但是,这个喷射流发生得如此地精确,以至于数十亿年后 在宇宙的另一端,一些化学污垢可以准确地描述,
on the other side:另一面;在另一边; accurately:adv.精确地,准确地;
and model, and predict , and explain, above all -- there's your reference 建立模型,并预测和解释,最重要的是 -- 你可以找得到参考
predict:v.预报;预言;预告; reference:n.参考,提及;参考书目;证明书;v.引用;
- what was happening there, in reality. - 现实中曾经发生过的事。
The one physical system, the brain, contains an accurate working model of the other -- the quasar. 一个物理系统,大脑, 包含了另外一个物理系统的准确工作模型 -- 类星体。
physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查;
Not just a superficial image of it, though it contains that as well, but an explanatory model, embodying the same mathematical relationships and the same causal structure . 不仅仅是一个粗浅的图像,虽然也包含图像, 而且还包含解释性的模型,表达同样的数学 关系和一样的因果结构。
superficial:adj.表面的;肤浅的;表面文章的;外表的;(人)浅薄的; explanatory:adj.解释的;说明的; embodying:v.具体表现,体现,代表(思想或品质);包括;(embody的现在分词) mathematical:adj.数学的,数学上的;精确的; causal:adj.因果关系的;有原因的;n.表示原因的连词; structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造;
Now that is knowledge. And if that weren't amazing enough, the faithfulness with which the one structure resembles the other is increasing with time. That is the growth of knowledge. 这就是知识。如果这还不够让你惊讶的话, 一个结构表达另外一个的准确性 正随着时间不断提高。这就是知识的增长。
faithfulness:n.忠诚;诚实;正确; resembles:v.看起来像:显得像:像(resemble的第三人称单数)
So, the laws of physics have this special property. 因此,物理规律拥有这样一个特殊的性质。
That physical objects, as unlike each other as they could possibly be, can nevertheless embody the same mathematical and causal structure and to do it more and more so over time. 物体,不管他们彼此多么相异, 却仍然能够表现同样的数学和因果结构, 而且随着时间增长表现得越来越多。
nevertheless:adv.然而,不过;虽然如此;conj.然而,不过;
So we are a chemical scum that is different. This chemical scum has universality . 因此我们是与众不同的化学污垢。这一化学污垢拥有普适性。
universality:n.普遍性;广泛性;一般性;多方面性;
Its structure contains, with ever-increasing precision , the structure of everything. This place, and not other places in the universe, is a hub which contains within itself the structural and causal essence of the 它的结构准确度越来越高地包容着, 世界万物的结构。这个地方,不是宇宙中任何其他地方, 在它自身内部,成为一个包容了其他一切宇宙万物结构性和因果性精髓的中心。
ever-increasing:adj.不断增长的; precision:n.精度,[数]精密度;精确;adj.精密的,精确的; structural:adj.结构的;建筑的; essence:n.本质;实质;精髓;香精;
whole of the rest of physical reality. And so, far from being insignificant , the fact that the laws of physics allow this, or even mandate that this can happen, is one of the most important things about the physical world. 因此,意义深远的是, 物理规律允许这一现象,抑或甚至主导了它的发生这一事实 是关于物理世界的最重要的事情之一。
insignificant:adj.无关紧要的; mandate:n.授权;命令,指令;委托管理;受命进行的工作;vt.授权;托管;
Now how does the solar system -- and our environment, in the form of us -- acquire this special relationship with the rest of the universe? 那么太阳系-- 我们的环境,以我们的形式-- 是如何获取这样一个与宇宙其他部分的特殊关系的呢？
acquire:v.获得;取得;学到;捕获;
Well, one thing that's true about Stephen Hawking's remark -- I mean, it is true, but it's the wrong emphasis . One thing that's true about it is that it doesn't do it with any special physics. There's no special dispensation , no miracles involved . It does it simply with three things that we have here in abundance . Stephen Hawking观点中其中一个正确面--我的意思是,这是正确的, 但是着重点是错的。其中一个正确面是 它并没有倚赖任何特殊的物理学。没有特殊的放宽, 没有奇迹发生。它的发生只依赖于我们现在富有的三种东西。
remark:v.评论;谈论;说起;n.评述;言论;谈论;引人注目; emphasis:n.强调;重视;重要性;(对某个词或短语的)强调; dispensation:n.分配;免除;豁免;天命; miracles:n.奇迹;奇人;不平凡的事;(miracle的复数) involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词) abundance:n.丰度;丰富;大量;富足;
One of them is matter, because the growth of knowledge is a form of information processing . Information processing is computation , computation requires a computer -- there's no known way of making a computer without matter. 其中一个是物质,因为知识的增长是一种信息处理的形式。 信息处理需要计算, 计算需要电脑-- 现有的知识下不可能不需要物质来制造电脑。
processing:v.加工;处理;审核;数据处理;v.列队行进;缓缓前进;(process的现在分词) computation:n.估计,计算;
We also need energy to make the computer, and most important, to make the media in effect onto which we record the knowledge that we discover. 我们还需要能量来制造电脑,最重要的是, 要使得用来记录我们所发现知识的媒介工作。
media:n.媒体;媒质(medium的复数);血管中层;浊塞音;中脉;
And then thirdly, less tangible , but just as essential for the open-ended creation of knowledge, of explanations, is evidence . 第三种东西,较难感触得到,但是在开放式的知识和解释的开发中 同样关键的是证据。
tangible:adj.有形的;切实的;可触摸的;n.有形资产; essential:n.要点;要素;实质;必需品;adj.完全必要的;必不可少的;极其重要的;本质的; open-ended:adj.开放式的;无限制的;自由回答的;两端未封闭的; evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明;
Now, our environment is inundated with evidence. 我们的环境中充满了证据。
inundated:adj.洪泛的;v.淹没(inundate的过去分词);
We happen to get round to testing -- let's say, Newton's Law of Gravity 但是我们常常忽略了测试--比如,牛顿的地球引力定律
get round to:抽出时间来做;开始考虑(挨次办理);
- about 300 years ago. -大约是在300年前提出的。
But the evidence that we used to do that was falling down on every square meter of the Earth for billions of years before that, and will continue to fall on for billions of years afterwards. And the same is true for all the other sciences. 但是我们习以为常的证据,从数十亿年前就在地球上的每个角落里不断坠落, 也会在接下来的数十亿年里继续坠落。 其他科学也同样如此。
As far as we know, evidence to discover the most fundamental truths of all the sciences is here just for the taking on our planet. 就我们所知,发掘所有科学大部分基本真理的证据 就在我们的星球上等待我们获取。
fundamental:n.基础; adj.十分重大的;
Our location is saturated with evidence, and also with matter and energy. 我们所在的地方充满了证据,还有物质和能量。
location:n.地方;地点;位置;定位 saturated:adj.饱和的;渗透的;深颜色的;v.使渗透,使饱和(saturate的过去式);
Out in intergalactic space, those three prerequisites for the open-ended creation of knowledge are at their lowest possible supply. 而在星系间的空间中,这三个 创造开放式知识的前提条件存在的可能性极端之小。
prerequisites:n.预备知识,先决条件(prerequisite复数);
As I said , it's empty, it's cold, and it's dark out there. Or is it? 正如我所说,那里空无一物,寒冷,黑暗。抑或不是如此？
As I said:正如我所说的
Now actually, that's just another parochial misconception . (Laughter) 事实上,这只是另外一个狭隘的误解。（观众笑声）
parochial:adj.教区的;狭小的;地方范围的; misconception:n.误解;错觉;错误想法;
Because imagine a cube out there in intergalactic space, the same size as our home, the solar system. Now that cube is very empty by human standards , but that still means that it contains over a million tons of matter. 假想在星系间空间有一个立方体存在, 与我们的房屋般大小,太阳系。以我们的标准来看,这个立方体非常空, 但是它事实上仍然包含着超过百万吨的物质。
standards:n.标准,水平,规格(standard的复数)
And a million tons is enough to make, say, a self-contained space station , on which there's a colony of scientists that are devoted to creating an open-ended stream of knowledge, and so on. 一百万吨足够建造一个,比方说,自给自足的空间站, 在这个空间站内聚居着一群科学家,他们致力于不断创造 开放式的知识,等等。
self-contained:adj.独立的;设备齐全的;沉默寡言的; space station:n.太空站;航天站;宇宙空间站; colony:n.殖民地;移民队; devoted:adj.专心致志; v.献身; (devote的过去分词和过去式)
Now, it's way beyond present technology to even gather the hydrogen from intergalactic space and form it into other elements and so on. 然而,现在的科技甚至连从星系间空间收集氢气 和将其转化成别的元素等都远不能做到。
hydrogen:n.氢;氢气; elements:n.要素;基本部分;少量;一群;(element的复数)
But the thing is, in a comprehensible universe, if something isn't forbidden by the laws of physics, then what could possibly prevent us from doing it, other than knowing how? 但问题是,在一个可理解的宇宙中, 如果某事是物理定律所允许的, 那么在我们知道如何运作的情况下,什么会妨碍我们去实践它呢？
comprehensible:adj.可理解的; forbidden:adj.禁止的; v.禁止; (forbid的过去分词和过去式)
In other words, it's a matter of knowledge, not resources . 换句话说,这是一个关于知识的问题,而不是关于资源。
resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数);
And the same -- well, if we could do that we'd automatically have an energy supply, because the transmutation would be a fusion reactor -- and evidence? 同样,如果我们可以做到的话,那么我们将自动获得能源供给, 因为这里的变化将是核反应堆 -- 证据？
automatically:adv.自动地;机械地;无意识地;adj.不经思索的; transmutation:n.变形;变化;演变; fusion:n.融合;熔化;熔接;融合物;[物]核聚变; reactor:n.[化工]反应器;[核]反应堆;起反应的人;
Well, again, it's dark out there to human senses. But all you've got to do is take a telescope, even one of present-day design, look out and you'll see the same galaxies as we do from here. 还是一样,对人类的感官来说那里漆黑一片。但是你所需要做的是 拿起一个望远镜,甚至是今天的技术设计, 往外看去,你会看到我们从这儿看到的同样的星系。
present-day:adj.现代的;当今的;现在的;现时的;
And with a more powerful telescope, you'll be able to see stars, and planets. 如果你有一个更强大的望远镜,你将能看到恒星和行星。
In those galaxies, you'll be able to do astrophysics , and learn the laws of physics. 在那些星系里,你可以进行天体物理学研究,了解物理定律。
astrophysics:n.天体物理学;
And locally there you could build particle accelerators , and learn elementary particle physics, and chemistry, and so on. 在你所处的位置,你可以制造粒子加速器, 研究初级粒子物理学,化学等。
locally:adv.在本地;局部地;在地方上; accelerators:n.[核]加速器(accelerator的复数形式); elementary particle:n.基本粒子;
Probably the hardest science to do would be biology field trips, because it would take several hundred million years to get to the nearest life-bearing planet and back. 也许最难做的科学研究是生物学实地考察,因为需要花费 数百万年才能往返最近的有生命的星球。
biology:n.(一个地区全部的)生物;生物学;
But I have to tell you -- and sorry, Richard -- but I never did like biology field trips much, and I think we can just about make do with one every few hundred million years. 但是我必须告诉你 -- 对不起,Richard -- 但是我从来都不是那么喜欢生物学实地考察, 我想我们可以每数百万年才进行一次。
(Laughter) （观众笑声）
So in fact, intergalactic space does contain all the prerequisites for the open-ended creation of knowledge. Any such cube, anywhere in the universe, could become the same kind of hub that we are, if the knowledge of how to do so were present there. 因此事实上,星系间空间并不具备创造开放式知识的前提条件。 任何一个这样的立方体,在宇宙中任何地方, 都可以成为跟我们一样的中心, 如果履行这一计划的知识确实存在的话。
So we're not in a uniquely hospitable place. 因此我们并不是唯一热情好客的地方。
hospitable:adj.热情友好的;(环境)舒适的;
If intergalactic space is capable of creating an open-ended stream of explanations, then so is almost every other environment. So is the Earth. So is a polluted Earth 如果星系间空间可以创造出一串开放式的解说, 那么几乎其它所有的环境都是可以的。地球也一样。被污染的地球也是一样。
capable:adj.能干的,能胜任的;有才华的;
And the limiting factor , there and here, is not resources, because they're plentiful , but knowledge, which is scarce . 而限制性因素,这里和那里,不是资源,因为资源很充沛, 而是知识,非常匮乏。
factor:n.因素;要素;[物]因数;代理人;v.做代理商;v.把…作为因素计入; plentiful:adj.丰富的;许多的;丰饶的; scarce:adv.勉强;刚;几乎不;简直不;adj.缺乏的;不足的;稀少的;
Now this cosmic knowledge-based view may -- and I think ought to 这样一个知识型的宇宙观也许 -- 我认为应该
cosmic:adj.宇宙的;
- make us feel very special. But it should also make us feel vulnerable , because it means that without the specific knowledge that's needed to survive the ongoing challenges of the universe, we won't survive them. - 让我们感觉非常不平凡。但同时也让我们感觉到自己的脆弱, 因为这也意味着如果没有那些必需的具体的知识来帮助我们应对宇宙中 源源不断地挑战,我们将无法生存。
vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的,易受…的攻击;易受伤害的;有弱点的; specific:adj.特殊的,特定的;明确的;详细的;[药]具有特效的;n.特性;细节;特效药; ongoing:n.发展; adj.持续存在的;
All it takes is for a supernova to go off a few light years away, and we'll all be dead! 仅仅是几光年外的一个超新星爆炸,我们都将必死无疑。
Martin Rees has recently written a book about our vulnerability to all sorts of things, from astrophysics, to scientific experiments gone wrong, and most importantly to terrorism with weapons of mass destruction . Martin Rees最近刚写了一本关于我们人类对于所有事物的脆弱性的书, 从天体物理学,到科学实验事故, 还有最重要的拥有大规模杀伤性武器的恐怖主义。
Rees:n.稀土元素;Rees公司; recently:adv.最近;新近; vulnerability:n.易损性;弱点; scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; and most importantly:最主要的是…; terrorism:n.恐怖主义; mass:n.块,团; adj.群众的,民众的; v.聚集起来,聚集; destruction:n.破坏,毁灭;摧毁;
And he thinks that civilization only has a 50 percent chance of surviving this century. 他认为人类文明只有50%的机率可以存活过这个世纪。
civilization:n.文明;文明社会;文明世界;(特定时期和地区的)社会文明;
I think he's going to talk about that later in the conference . 我想他晚些时候会在这个会上给大家讲述。
conference:n.会议;研讨会;商讨会;体育协会(或联合会)
Now I don't think that probability is the right category to discuss this issue in. 但是我认为这一问题并不适合用机率来描述。
probability:n.可能性;机率;[数]或然率; category:n.种类,分类;[数]范畴; issue:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;发行;
But I do agree with him about this. We can survive, and we can fail to survive. 但是我同意他就此的看法。我们可以生存下去,我们也可能不会存续。
But it depends not on chance, but on whether we create the relevant knowledge in time. 但是这并不取决于机率,而是我们是否可以及时创造出相关的知识。
relevant:adj.相关的;切题的;中肯的;有重大关系的;有意义的,目的明确的;
The danger is not at all unprecedented . Species go extinct all the time. 这种危险肯定不是前所未有的。物种一直都在灭绝。
not at all:毫无;一点也不;不用谢; unprecedented:adj.空前的;无前例的; Species:n.[生物]物种;种类; extinct:adj.灭绝的,绝种的;熄灭的;vt.使熄灭;
Civilizations end. The overwhelming majority of all species and all civilizations that have ever existed are now history. 文明也会终止。绝大多数存在过的物种和文明 都以成历史。
Civilizations:n.文明(civilization的复数形式); overwhelming:adj.势不可挡的; v.压倒; (overwhelm的现在分词) majority:n.大部分:大多数:多数票:成年人:
And if we want to be the exception to that, then logically our only hope is to make use of the one feature that distinguishes our species, and our civilization, from all the others. 如果我们想成为例外的话,逻辑上来看我们唯一的希望 是利用将我们这个种群和文明与其他物种区别开的这个特征, 与其他一切都区别开的这个特征。
exception:n.例外;异议; logically:adv.逻辑上;合乎逻辑; make use of:使用,利用; distinguishes:vt.区分;辨别;使杰出,使表现突出;vi.区别,区分;辨别;
Namely , our special relationship with the laws of physics. 也就是,我们与物理定律得特殊关系。
Namely:adv.也就是;即是;换句话说;
Our ability to create new explanations, new knowledge -- to be a hub of existence. 我们创造新的解释和知识的能力 -- 成为存在的中心。
So let me now apply this to a current controversy , not because I want to advocate any particular solution, but just to illustrate the kind of thing I mean. 让我将此运用到当前的一个论战中, 不是因为我想提议任何特定的解决方法, 而只是用来阐明我所要讲述的一些事。
apply:v.申请;涂,敷;应用;适用;请求; controversy:n.争论;论战;辩论; advocate:v.拥护;支持;提倡;n.支持者;提倡者;辩护律师;出庭辩护人; illustrate:v.解释;加插图于;给(书等)做图表;表明…真实;
And the controversy is global warming . 这个论战就是全球暖化。
global warming:n.全球(气候)变暖;地球大气层变暖;
Now, I'm a physicist , but I'm not the right kind of physicist. In regard to global warming, 我是一个物理学家,但我并不是此领域的物理学家。就全球暖化来说,
physicist:n.物理学家;物理学研究者;
I'm just a layman . And the rational thing for a layman to do is to take seriously the prevailing scientific theory. And according to that theory, it's already too late to avoid a disaster . 我只是个门外汉。对一个门外汉来说理智的做法是 严肃对待权威的科学理论。而根据这一理论, 已经太晚了,灾难在所难免。
layman:n.外行;门外汉;俗人;一般信徒; rational:n.理性;人类;合理的事物;[数]有理数;adj.合理的;理性的;明智的;理智的; prevailing:adj.流行的;一般的;占优势的;v.盛行,流行;获胜;(prevail的现在分词形式) according to:根据,据说; disaster:n.灾难,灾祸;不幸;
Because if it's true that our best option at the moment is to prevent CO2 emissions with something like the Kyoto Protocol , with its constraints on economic activity 因为,如果我们目前最好的选择是阻止二氧化碳排放的话, 例如通过东京议定书之类的,限制经济活动,
option:n.选择;可选择的东西; emissions:n.(光、热、气等的)发出,排放;排放物;散发物;(emission的复数) Kyoto:n.京都(日本城市); Protocol:n.协议;草案;礼仪;vt.拟定;vi.拟定; constraints:n.[数]约束;限制;约束条件(constraint的复数形式); economic:adj.经济的,经济上的;经济学的;
and its enormous cost of hundreds of billions of dollars or whatever it is, then that is already a disaster by any reasonable measure. 以及花费千亿美元等巨大的代价, 那么不管如何衡量,这就已经是一个灾难了。
reasonable:adj.合理的,公道的;通情达理的;
And the actions that are advocated are not even purported to solve the problem, merely to postpone it by a little. So it's already too late to avoid it, and it probably has been too late to avoid it ever since before anyone realized the danger. 倡议的行动甚至都不是为解决问题, 而只是稍微推迟灾难的到来。因此灾难在所难免,一切都已晚, 或在所有人意识到这个危险之前就已经太晚了。
advocated:vt.提倡,主张,拥护;n.提倡者;支持者;律师; purported:adj.据称的;传言的;v.声称;自称;标榜;(purport的过去分词和过去式) merely:adv.仅仅,只不过;只是; postpone:v.延期;延迟;展缓;
It was probably already too late in the 1970s, when the best available scientific theory was telling us that industrial emissions were about to precipitate a new ice age in which billions would die. 上世纪70年代的时候也许就已经太晚了, 那时候最先进的科学理论告诉我们工业排放 将促成一个新的冰河世纪,数十亿的人类将从此灭亡。
industrial:adj.工业的,产业的; n.工业股票; were about to:眼看就要;即将;正要;行将; precipitate:n.[化学]沉淀物; vt.使沉淀; vi.[化学]沉淀; adj.突如其来的;
Now the lesson of that seems clear to me, and I don't know why it isn't informing public debate . 这一教训对我来说清晰可见, 我不明白为什么它没有传达至公众辩论。
informing:v.知会;通知;通告;了解;熟悉;对…有影响(inform的现在分词) debate:n.辩论;争论;考虑;v.辩论;争论;考虑;
It is that we can't always know. When we know of an impending disaster, and how to solve it at a cost less than the cost of the disaster itself, then there's not going to be much argument, really. 事实是我们不可能永远知道。当我们知道有一个灾难将要降临, 应对这个灾难的成本要比灾难本身小, 那么就真的没有什么好争论的。
impending:adj.迫在眉睫的; v.(事件,危险等)逼近; (impend的现在分词)
But no precautions , and no precautionary principle , can avoid problems that we do not yet foresee . 但是没有任何预防措施,或者预防原则 可以帮助我们避免我们还没有预测到的问题。
precautions:n.防范;预防措施;预警(precaution的复数); precautionary:adj.预防的;留心的;预先警戒的; principle:n.原理,原则;主义,道义;本质,本义;根源,源泉; foresee:vt.预见;预知;
Hence we need a stance of problem fixing, not just problem avoidance . 因此我们需要准备好去解决问题,而不仅仅是避免问题。
Hence:adv.因此;今后; stance:n.立场;姿态;位置;准备击球姿势; avoidance:n.逃避;废止;职位空缺;
And it's true that an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure, but that's only if we know what to prevent. 一盎司的预防等于一盎司的解决,这是事实, 但是这只是在我们知道预防什么的情况下。
ounce:n.盎司;少量;雪豹; prevention:n.预防;阻止;妨碍;
If you've been punched on the nose , then the science of medicine does not consist of teaching you how to avoid punches . 如果你的鼻子被打了一拳,医学不会教你 如何闪躲拳头。
punched:v.拳打;以拳痛击;给…打孔;按(键);(punch的过去分词和过去式) on the nose:准确; consist:v.(与…)一致;并存;共存;由…组成; punches:v.用拳猛击(punch的第三人称单数形式); n.一拳(punch的复数);
If medical science stopped seeking cures and concentrated on prevention only, then it would achieve very little of either. 如果医学不再研究治病的方法,而是仅仅研究预防, 那么它将几乎一事无成。
seeking:v.寻找;寻求;谋求;争取;(向人)请求(seek的现在分词) concentrated:adj.决心要做的; v.集中(注意力); (concentrate的过去式和过去分词)
The world is buzzing at the moment with plans to force reductions in gas emissions at all costs . 目前整个世界都在不计成本地忙着计划来促成 气体排放量的减少。
buzzing:v.发出嗡嗡声;发出蜂鸣声;充满兴奋(或活动等);(buzz的现在分词) reductions:n.减少;缩小;降低;减价;折扣;缩图;(reduction的复数) at all costs:无论如何,不惜任何代价;
It ought to be buzzing with plans to reduce the temperature, and with plans to live at the higher temperature. 而它应该赶紧计划如何降低温度, 以及计划如何在温度升高之后如何生存。
And not at all costs, but efficiently and cheaply. And some such plans exist, things like swarms of mirrors in space to deflect the sunlight away, and encouraging aquatic organisms to eat more carbon dioxide . 不是不计成本,而是有效地、廉价的计划。而这样的一些计划已经存在了, 比如在太空中放置大批镜子来将太阳光反射出去, 以及刺激海洋生物消费更多的二氧化碳。
efficiently:adv.有效地;效率高地(efficient的副词形式); swarms:n.(昆虫等)群;[蜂]蜂群(swarm的复数);v.蜂拥;云集(swarm的第三人称单数); deflect:v.偏转,转移;偏斜,转向;引开;阻止; sunlight:n.日光; aquatic:adj.水生的;水栖的;在水中或水面进行的;n.水上运动;水生植物或动物; organisms:n.[生物]生物体(organism的复数);[生物]有机体; carbon dioxide:二氧化碳;
At the moment, these things are fringe research. 而目前,这些都只是边缘研究。
fringe:n.边缘;穗;刘海;adj.边缘的;附加的;vt.加穗于;
They're not central to the human effort to face this problem, or problems in general . 人类在应对这个问题或者广义上来说这些问题的时候,它们起不到核心作用。
in general:总之,通常;一般而言;
And with problems that we are not aware of yet, the ability to put right -- not the sheer good luck of avoiding indefinitely -- is our only hope, not just of solving problems, but of survival. 对于我们并未知觉的问题,纠错的能力 -- 不是无限期的躲过期发生的绝对好运 -- 是我们唯一的希望, 不仅仅是为解决问题,而是为生存。
sheer:adj.纯; v.十足地; n.透明薄纱; v.[航海](使)偏航; (使)转向; indefinitely:adv.不确定地,无限期地;模糊地,不明确地;
So take two stone tablets , and carve on them. 我们应该拿起两块石碑,在上边刻上铭文。
tablets:n.药片;片剂;(固定于墙上作纪念的)牌,碑,匾;(tablet的第三人称单数和复数) carve:vt.雕刻;切开;开创;vi.切开;做雕刻工作;
On one of them, carve "Problems are soluble ." 其中一块刻上”问题是可以解决的“。
soluble:adj.[化学]可溶的,可溶解的;可解决的;
And on the other one carve "Problems are inevitable ." 另外一块刻上”问题是不可避免的“。
inevitable:adj.必然的,不可避免的;
Thank you. (Applause) 谢谢。（观众鼓掌）